Wardrobe trunk



Aug. 9,1927. 1,638,135

I. R. ALLEN WARDROBE TRUNK Filed May 15, 1926 Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

UNITED stares iRVING R. ALLEN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS? WARDROBE TRUNK.

Application filed. May 15,

wardrobe trunk of which the garment sec.

tion is open at the top, and covered by a lid or cover hinged to the garment section or by a lid or cover hinged to the drawer section, and arranged to close the open top of the garment section. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a movable pad or cushion of novel form and arrangement, for preventing the shifting during transportation, of the garment hangers and garments supported thereby, and for preventing pilfering or theft of the garments when the trunk is left open.

Vardrobe trunks are usually provided with locking means for the drawersection of the trunk, but the types of trunks which have an open top arrangement for the garment section, are generally unprovided with any locking means for safe guarding the garments against theft when thetrunk is left open. It is a comparatively easy matter for an unauthorized person to remove a hanger with the garment supported thereby, from the trunk, when open, and one object of this invention is to provide locking means in con nection with the pad or cushion, for preventing the hangers from being moved forward on their rails, or lifted therefrom thereby making it difficult for an unauthorized person to remove any garment from the trunk although the trunk is in open position.

The invention consists, therefore, in a wardrobe trunk of the open top type, provided with a movable pad or cushion, swingingly supported by the garment section of the trunk, and arranged to he swung down on the garment hangers in pressing engagement therewith and having a lock for locking'the pad down on the hangers. It further consists in a lockable pad or cushion as above set forth, provided with an abutment or' stop member at its front edge arranged to stand front of the foremost garment hanger or follower, when the pad is locked down, and thereby prevent the hangers from being drawn forward or'lifted from therails or I hanger bars which support them. It further consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig.- l is a perspectiveview of an open top 1926. Serial N0.-109,253.

wardrobe trunk equipped with a hanger retaining pad or cushion top device embodying a simple form of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view, looking from below,

1 the pad or cushion top device and a frag ment of the garment section of the trunk, sliowing the two detached from each other; Fig. 3 is a detail vertical longitudinal section through the upper part of the garment section of the trunk, and Fig. 4 is a detail, vertical cross section taken through said garment section of the trunk Referring to said drawing which illustrates a typical form of the preferred em bodiment of the invention, the reference character 0 designates the drawer section,

l L and 6 the garment section of a wardrobe trunk of conventional form, the two sections heinghinged together on a vertical line and provided with locking means for locking the sections together. The upper end or top of the wardrobe section isopen, and is arranged to be closed by a trunk top,'lid or cover 7,

which in this case isshown as hinged to the of the garment section. In many cases a follower er presser board 10 is provided at the front of. the hangers, which follower also rests on the hanger rails and is provided with some sort of latch mechanism for holding it in pressing engagement. with the garments.

The parts described are common and well known and require no further description as far as this specification is concerned.

In the form of the invention illustrated, an auxiliary top device '11 is provided between the tops of the garment hangers 8 and the underside of the trunk top 7 which device swingably mounted on the garment section, whereby it may be raised or swung away from the garment hangers to afford ready access to them. The top device 11 is shown as hingedly secured to an end wall 12 of the garment section, by a hinge 13 and its free end is provided with one member 14- of a lock, which co-operates with a companion lock member '15 fastened to the end wall 16 of the garment section. The lock may be ot' the spring lock type, whereby when the auxiliary top device 11 is swung down on the garment hangers, the lock members 14, 15 co-act to lockingly hold the top device 11, down upon the garment hangers. Toprevent the hangers from shifting about, dur ing transportation, the top device is provided with a pad or cushion 16, which is held in pressing engagement with the garment hangers whenever the top device is locked down thereon. In order to obtain strength and stability, the top device 11 may be formed with a rectangular frame 17 formed of metal, wood or the like. fitting fairly well in the open top of the garment section. pad or cushion 16 is filled with suitable cushioning material and is covered with. fabric secured on or around the frame 17 \Vhen pressed down on the garment hangers the pad prevents the hangers from shifting along their supports.

To further prevent the garment hangers from being drawn forward beyond the front edge of the auxiliary top device 11, a stop member 18 in the form of a lug or clownwardly bent piece of metal is provided,

which is secured to the front of the auxiliary top device, in position to stand. in front of the foremost garment hanger or the follower if the trunk is equipped with one. The stop member provides an abutment which arrests forward movement of the hangers beyond the auxiliary top device and prevents them from being lifted from their supporting bars or rails when the auxiliary top device is locked down. In order that ready access may be had to the garments, the auxiliary top device is unlocked from the garment section of the trunk, and swung up and back where it may assume the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Among the especial advantages of this device, are its effectiveness in protecting the garments against pilfering while the trunk is open. It permits air to circulate about the garments, when the trunk is open whereby they may become thoroughly aired. It is simple, comparatively inexpensive, substantial and effective in operation.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible without departing from the spirit of this invention, I desire, therefore. not to limit myself to the exact form of the construction shown and described. but intend, in the following claims, to point out all of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as new and desire to secure by The for engagement with said garment hangers and locking means on said garment section and auxiliary top device for locking the latter down with the'pad in pressing engagement with the garment hangers independently of the trunk top, whereby the garment hangers are thereby held against movement relative to said auxiliary top device.

3. The combination with the garment sec tion of an open top wardrobe trunk, its top, hanger rails and garment hangers, of an auxiliary padded top device hingedly secured to a wall of said garment section, a lock member on said garment section and a lock member on said top device C o-operating therewith to lock said device down with its pad in pressing engagement with the garment hangers, independently of the trunk top, wherebythe garment hangers are thereby held against movement relative to said auxiliary top device. 1

l. The combination with the garment section of an open top wardrobe trunk, its top, hanger rails and garment hangers, of an independently movable auxiliary top device for the open top of said section, a stop device secured at the front of said top device and arranged to stand in front of the garment hangers when the top device is in operative position, and co-operating lock members, one on said garment section and one on the auxiliary top device, co-operating to lock the latter down upon the garment hangers independently of the trunk top.

5. The combination with the garment section of an open top wardrobe trunk, its top, hanger rails and garment hangers, of a swinging auxiliary top device for the open top of said section, and having a pad arranged for engagement with said garment hangers, a stop device secured at the front of said top device and arranged to stand in front of the garment hangers when the top device is in operative position, and locking means on said garment section and auxiliary top device for locking the latter down with the pad in pressing engagement with the garment hangers independently of the trunk top.

IRVING R. ALLEN. 

